Aporia
by AliceSloane13
Summary: When someone from Red's past shows up trouble is destined to follow. There's no telling how dark things can get.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey all! Before you yell…. I haven't given up on my other story – this just popped to mind while I was working on my other story and demanded I pay attention. Please forgive any horrible screw ups I have made with any of the Russian. I know I should go easy on it, but several just seemed fitting.

XOXOXO

 _Bratstvo – brotherhood (apparently links to violent or mob ties)_

 _durak neschastniy – unlucky fool; stupid idiot_

 _lyubimaya – darling, sweetheart, *favorite*_

 _malyshka – little girl_

 _Rough translations at best… sorry for any mistakes_

XOXOXO

Red was walking with Nicky towards the yard outside, as the younger woman prattled on about something that had amused her. Red wouldn't admit it, but she hadn't heard a word Nicky had said.

Something felt off. She had felt it since she'd first woken up. Red had good instincts and she trusted them. Things were too still and that meant trouble. Well, too still except the firecracker walking next to her.

As they continued through the hall, dodging the various women scattered throughout, a voice broke through and caught Red's attention. "...he's not an eggplant; he's retarded."

This voice was different though. It was low and rough. Not rough like Nicky's. Rough like home. Rough like Russia.

Red had once told the joke to Nicky. Nicky, never one to pass up on cracking a joke, had told it to the other inmates often. Red knew that her girl always needed to fill silence.

It was both endearing and irritating. It was the reason she tried not to snap at the younger woman when she began to grate on her nerves and it was the same reason why Nicky's enthusiasm and eagerness made her smile and comforted her.

But that voice… Those words… It wasn't a punch line now. It was a mockery. A painful reminder of when she didn't fit in. An introduction that came with harsh edges and promises of darkness.

Red stopped in her tracks, taking a moment to look around. Nicky kept walking until she realized Red wasn't behind her. "Ma?" she called back confused.

Red had her back to Nicky and just held up a hand to quiet the girl. Her gaze swept across the women nearby, finally landing on a young woman. The smirk was unmistakable, she looked just like her father.

"Stesha," Red said quietly.

Nicky moved beside her, quiet now, knowing this was a silence that was dangerous to fill. She could feel the tension from Red coming off in waves and looked between the two in confusion.

"Hello Galina. It's been a long time," the young woman said. Her accent was not as strong as Red's, but you could hear the familiar voice patterns. There was no mistaking that she had Russian lineage.

Red arched a brow at her. "Not long enough if you ask me. What are you doing here Stesha?"

Stesha shrugged her shoulders with a casual air of indifference. "I got in a bit of trouble, like you. Papa has a message for you - he said I should tell you to watch your back. Accidents have a way of happening, even when you're locked up."

The older woman laughed. Nicky knew that very little scared Red. She wouldn't show fear in front of this girl, in front of anyone, but this felt different. Nicky could tell that the girl's message upset her, maybe frightened her. She moved a little closer to Red and stared the girl down.

"You should stay out of grown-up's business little girl. None of your brothers are here to protect you and your father doesn't run this prison. Even his reach doesn't go that far. I remember when you were no taller than my knees, Stesha. Your father was a fool for sending you here to deliver a message like that." Red stared at her for a moment, taking the girl in and scrutinizing the details.

"Papa knows what he's doing," she snapped, "And you better know what you're doing too. One wrong step and things might get very messy for you." She swallowed hard, her bravado leaving her under Red's strong gaze. "Things are changing in the neighborhood. He said you could be a problem. That it would be a shame to have to clean up old messes."

Red leaned closer to the young woman. "Listen to me child. You're just a messenger. The fact that your father sent you in here means only one thing: you're expendable. I don't know what you did to piss him off, but you better hope that you can fix things. Bad blood in _bratstvo_ never ends well. You would do well to take your own advice."

"I will be fine inside, it is you who needs to tread carefully." Stesha had taken on a snotty tone, one that Nicky knew Red would never abide.

She winced at the thought of what Red could do to Stesha if she lost her temper, but Red didn't lose her temper – not over things like this. The girl across from them didn't know that and her confidence was waning by the minute.

"We are from the same place Galina. You know my family will protect me. I wouldn't go around making idle threats. There is always a cost. Prison doesn't frighten me. I was raised to be a survivor. My family is strong, as am I."

Red's voice dropped down low, a tone Nicky had never heard. "You are alone here Stesha. There is no family to back you. No power to hide behind. Prison has a way of breaking you. It's not easy to form allies here and I doubt you would know where to start. Me, I have a lot of family here. They are loyal and they are powerful. Family, you understand? You are just another stranger _, durak neschastniy_. Welcome to _my_ neighborhood."

Red spun on her heals and nodded for Nicky to follow. Nicky walked with Red, but tossed a glare over her shoulder. How dare this kid show up and threaten Red like that. Nicky was fiercely protective of her family, Red most of all.

She wanted to go back and say something. If Red hadn't been acting so strangely, she would have turned right back around and showed that girl exactly how things worked around here. Nicky, for the most part, stayed out of fights. She'd rather be a spectator than sent down to SHU every other week. She'd fight for Red though.

 _Stesha_ , Red thought. She was harmless on her own, but her father was powerful. He was one of the main reasons she was in here. Not many in their circles worked with him directly, but Red had been deep enough that she knew Stesha's father personally. How dare Adrik send a little girl to threaten him. Why now? Why like this? It had all been so long ago. Surely he didn't see her as a threat.

"Ma, let me go back. She can't talk to you that way." It wasn't like Nicky to ask for approval, but Red had responded so darkly that she didn't know what was going on beneath the surface.

Red grabbed Nicky by the arm, stopping her from going back. Instead she pulled Nicky closer next to her and kept walking. "Do not give her a reaction Nicky, just keep walking. Trust me, I know how to deal with my kind."

"But?" Nicky questioned.

Red shot her a warning look. "This is not the time for you to throw a tantrum Nicky. I know you mean well, but just do as I say."

Nicky sighed, but allowed herself to be dragged along like a scolded child. The fact that she knew she was pouting only made it worse. "What do you think she meant? All that stuff about being careful and not stirring things up? After all this time?"

Red was angry. She was upset. Having Nicky nearby only seemed to make it worse. She was a weak point to Red – that made her a target. She wanted Nicky to stop drawing attention to herself and letting Stesha see the truth.

"Nicky! Stop," Red snapped.

Nicky stiffened beside her and tried to pull her arm away. To say that it hurt to have Red snap at her was an understatement. "I guess… I guess I should just go. Sorry, ma." Nicky was starting down at the floor, trying to hide how jittery she felt. "I only wanted to help," she added, defeat coating her voice.

Red sighed. "I'm sorry, _lyubimaya_. I just need to think. These are dangerous men and I don't know what they are planning, but if they went through the trouble of sending Stesha in here it must be bad."

She could still see that Nicky was upset. She was trying to hide it, but there was no mistaking the tears in her eyes. "Nicky," she said softly, bringing one hand to the girl's cheek. "I didn't mean to snap at you. Come on now, brush it off."

Nicky swallowed hard and blinked her eyes several times. She wasn't sure why this had gotten to her so much. It wasn't the first time Red snapped at her. Normally Nicky could just laugh it off or take it with a grain of salt, but today that hadn't happened. She met Red's gaze and was greeted with a smile full of warmth and concern.

"There now," Red said, wiping the one tear that had managed to escape, off Nicky's cheek. "Okay?"

Nicky grabbed Red's hand against her face. "Yeah, it's just not often I see you get spooked. I just wanted to help," she whined. Her defenses were down and Red could see the inner child within that Nicky tried to keep so hidden.

Red nodded. "You do help, but right now I need to figure out what is going on first. I don't need you starting up trouble with that girl. Leave her be, until I know what to do."

"Okay," Nicky said quietly.

Red sighed. "Nicky," she said, drawing the girl's name out. "Tell me."

Nicky looked up at her and conceded her defeat. "I will leave her alone and stay out of it." She meant it, but she still sounded frustrated. She was dragging her heels, but she wouldn't break her promise.

Red pulled her into a hug. "Good girl." She felt how tense Nicky was and just held her tighter because of it. Nicky tried to pull away, but Red didn't let her go. "Not yet, _malyshka_. Not yet," she murmured gently.

Eventually Nicky slumped against her and tucked her face against Red's shoulder. She felt Red stroke the back of her hair and gave into the comfort. She felt better - more secure, but she couldn't shake the interaction and the way Red had responded.

Seeing Red so freaked out had scared her. Red was supposed to be the strong one. Nicky knew she would always be strong when Red needed her to be, it was just that something felt off. She didn't know how to process that. For just a few minutes though, she could enjoy this comfort and pretend things weren't changing. She could pretend that everything was okay.

They heard footsteps running down the hall and both turned to see Chapman running towards them. "Red, you've got to come look at this. The news, there's… you just have to come see."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Red and Nicky followed Piper into the TV room. They had MSNBC on and were all listening with rapt attention. It was eerily quiet. Red didn't pay attention to the news at first, but took in the suspiciousness of the room. Through the haze of observation, she heard a name. His name.

 _Adrik Kazarian has been taken into custody after an anonymous tip off. The Russian mobster linked to, Ganya Agron, has been a wanted man for some time. While many believed him to be dead, the authorities have kept the case against him open and have continued to look for him over the years._

 _Awaiting trial, it is uncertain Kazarian will take a plea bargain, being offered for more information, or if he will stay silent to protect those above him._

 _Agron, suspected to be the mob leader has been detained several times over the last decade, but there has never been enough evidence to link him to crimes. Kazarian's testimony, if he chooses to speak out, could be a changing factor in taking Agron down._

 _Kazarian is facing a hefty amount of prison time if sentenced. He is thought to be involved in embezzlement of over $600,000, linked to at least four murders, and 5 kidnappings. As a high ranking member of the organization it is likely that he has orchestrated many more crimes than those previously listed._

 _Police are hopeful that they can glean some information and press charges. In a statement they made at a press conference this morning, Police Chief _ said, "The Russian's have been terrorizing this area for over a decade - it's time we took some of that power away from them. We have in custody a key player of that organization. We see this as a win for us and it will help us to bring this group down for good."_

 _Kazarian's lawyers responded to the press conference with their own statement, claiming that their client is innocent of all charges against him. Kazarian has nothing to hide and will cooperate with the authorities in any way he can. They are confident that this will not make it to trial._

 _What those charges are specifically, we are still unaware of, but as always we will continue to follow the story and update new details as they come in. In other news, …."_

The girls all looked at Red. She turned to Piper and spoke, voice steady and calm, "Thank you for getting me." Red turned and walked back out of the room.

Nicky shot the group a warning look and then followed behind her.

"Wanna tell me what the hell is going on?" she asked, sounding more frustrated than concerned. If Red had thought she was being jumpy before, she was wrong. Nicky was practically shaking with anger. "Does that have anything to do with what that kid was saying?"

Red nodded, there was no point in hiding it. Even if she wanted to, Nicky would just assume she was lying. Red knew the news should have frightened her, but it calmed her nerves a bit. At least now she knew what Stesha had been talking about. They wanted her to keep her mouth shut and she would. That life was long behind her now.

"That man they arrested. That is Stesha's father. Trouble is brewing in the old neighborhood. I don't know what's going to come up or what is going to happen, but none of it will be good."

"What can I do?" Nicky asked.

Grabbing her hand, Red brought it up to her lips and kissed her knuckles. "You don't need to do anything. I'll let you know if there is something you can help with. For now, we should probably just act normal until I know more. I'll call the boys and see if they have any idea, but I doubt they've kept any old contacts. We always tried to keep them out of the business."

Red stopped Nicky's questions with a look. "Just like I'm trying to keep you out of it, _upryamaya devushka_."

Nicky stayed quiet for a moment, considering everything Red had just told her. She wasn't quite sure what Red had just said to her, but her tone of voice gave her that gist of it.

"Is there anything else I should worry about? Stesha made it seem like they think you know something? I saw how you looked at her, Red. I saw how you looked at that news. What aren't you telling me?" Nicky chewed on her lip worriedly and crossed her arms.

Turning to look at her daughter, Red touched her face. "When did you become too smart for you own good? I think I liked it better when I could hide things from you." She sighed, there was no use pretending. "I will not give you details, but I will say that there are things that I never told. Things I won't tell, but they don't know for sure how much I know. Stesha is here as a warning, just as she said. The best thing we can do right now is nothing."

Nicky huffed, trying to bite back her own emotion. She wanted to fight. She wanted to go track that Russian brat down and scream at her for bringing this into their home. Red had done more than her time and it wasn't fair that they were drawing her back in. It had been over a decade.

Seeing the look on Nicky's face Red shot her a warning look. "You, stay out of trouble. You hear me? I can take care of myself. These aren't people to underestimate. There are consequences bigger than just ending up in SHU."

Nicky nodded, knowing that there wasn't anything she could do. Stirring up trouble with that girl would only make things worse. "I'm good. I'll keep my hands to myself."

"Good," Red said firmly. "Now go find something to do or I'll put you to work in the kitchen."

Nicky wanted to say yes, put her to work, but she knew that would probably upset Red more. She didn't like it when Nicky got overprotective and hovered. She would be sure to make her pay for it. "Alright, but send one of the girl's if you need me."

Red nodded. "Fine, but I don't want to have this conversation a third time. Stay out of trouble." She muttering to herself about Nicky being so damn stubborn, as she walked away. The last thing she needed was more drama, as if this day hadn't already brought enough.

Adrik must have been afraid that Red had proof of his ties to Ganya. She wasn't sure how much damage she could actually do. There were so many memories. So many meetings with that group. Would her word be enough to stir up suspicion? Could she really influence the trial so heavily that they felt the need to send her such a message?

Did he know what she had hidden before coming here? He couldn't … It was impossible…

Shaking her head, Red rid herself of those kinds of thoughts. They were dangerous. She had no desire to get sucked back in. Not now, not after all the time she'd put in working towards freedom.

XOXOXO

Looking up from the vegetables she was chopping, Gloria watched Red enter the kitchen. Red seemed tense, more quiet, more worried. "You look like you've seen a ghost," Gloria said. She looked tentative, but not afraid of Red.

Gloria had never been one to run from things. It never solved anything. All that nonsense of keeping secrets for the sake of pride. It didn't work in here. The sooner it was out in the open, the sooner they could all move forward. She didn't deal with bullshit. "You see the news?"

Red looked up and nodded. "Yes, I guess it's no surprise that everyone in here has skeletons. I just wasn't expecting to see mine on the television. It's no trouble to me though. That was such a long time ago. I have no ties that world any longer."

"Mmhmm, your girls might buy into that shit, but you are talking to the wrong woman if you think I'm gonna fall for it," Gloria said, pointing with the knife, as her hands moved along with her words. "Don't think we don't have our own secrets just because we come from different neighborhoods. You don't leave those groups - not like this."

Buttoning her jacket, Red sighed. "I know, but let's just keep that between us for now. Nicky is already too invested as it is. I don't want her digging around and winding up in trouble. Chapman worries me too; she talks too much. The others, they're just safer not knowing anything."

"Damn, you got yourself into some shit didn't you? I don't know what it is you did and I don't want to, but I'll back you if you need it. You've been good to us and that means something, especially in here."

Red smiled and shrugged. "What can I say? Russians don't do things small."

XOXOXO

Not sure what to do with herself, Nicky made her way out to the yard. She didn't normally hang outside much, but it seemed as good a place as any. Stesha would be in the suburbs, so heading back to her cube didn't seem like a good idea. The yard was big. If she was there it wouldn't be hard to avoid her.

Nicky spotted Alex sitting in the grass and walked over. "Hey Vause," she greeted.

"Wow, out and about in the sun, Nichols. You're not going to turn into a gremlin on me or something right?" Alex marked the page in her book and slid her glasses onto the top of her head. Looking up at Nicky she squinted from the sunlight, behind the other woman.

Nicky shook her hands helplessly in front of her, pretending to be scared. "Bright light! Bright light!" They both laughed and Nicky sat down. "Besides, I think you have to get me wet first too," she said with a wink.

Alex playfully shoved her. "Wouldn't you like that?" Alex quipped.

Nicky's mouth rose into a half grin. "I can't say you'd hear me complaining." She wanted to be as carefree as she sounded, but knew she wasn't doing a good job hiding it.

Staring at Nicky, Alex waited for her to talk. She hadn't missed that all of Nicky's joking had been half-hearted. Realizing that Nicky wasn't going to say anything she rolled her eyes. "Seriously though, what's going on with you?"

Nicky drew her legs up and propped her arms up. "Eh, I don't know. Just stuff," she shrugged.

"Stuff?" Alex questioned. It wasn't like her to push - they weren't those kinds of friends. That might have been why they tended to hang out so much. They both knew when to stop pressing. "Stuff you want to talk about?"

Nicky sighed. "There's just stuff going on with Red... about her past. I don't know what to do and she said there's nothing I can do to help. She won't even really tell me what's going on. Well she sorta did, but I can tell that's not all of it." Nicky pursed her lips and shook her head in frustration.

"And of course, you being a total momma's girl has you itching to do something," Alex said, as the pieces began to fall into place. She watched as Nicky's features moped into a childlike pout.

Nicky looked at Alex. "She told me not to get into trouble," she said, sounding defeated.

"She makes a good point. You do have a knack for it. What is it she calls you? Little girl, big mouth?" Alex knew it was pointless to try and cheer Nicky up or get her to stop worrying, so they sat in silence for several minutes.

"God I would kill for some sunglasses," Nicky said, changing the subject. That had been enough opening up for one afternoon. She raised her hand to her forehead, trying to block the sun from her eyes, as, she looked around the yard.

Alex scoffed. "Try having green eyes. At least you have enough melanin to block out some of the light.

"I get drunk faster too," Nicky said cheekily. "Sparkly eyes, pale as fuck, and… is that glitter I see shimmering on your skin? You look like a character out of Twilight," Nicky said with a challenging gaze.

"You bitch!" Alex said laughing. She shoved Nicky, knocking her over.

Nicky laughed but didn't sit up. She propped herself up on her elbows and stared out at the women in the yard. "I needed that, thanks."

Alex laid down next to her. "I'm here all week. And the next week. And the one after that." She sighed heavily. "So what's your plan?"

"My plan?" Nicky asked.

"Yes idiot. I know you're not going to just sit back and do as Red tells you. That would make sense. So, what's your plan? I need to know these things, that way when Red comes around looking for answers I can at least tell her that I tried to talk you out of it."

Nicky knew Alex was right, but she hadn't really come up with anything yet. She gestured with her chin to a girl hanging on the outskirts of a large group of girls talking. She didn't seem to be included, more just hanging on the fringes trying to fit in. "That kid there. She came in this morning all threatening Red."

Alex scoffed. "The one I could probably step on? Nicky come on, don't you think you're blowing this out of proportion."

Nicky sat up and sat crisscrossed facing Alex. "It's not just the girl. Apparently she's some mob bigwig's daughter. She was going on about how things were getting stirred up and Red needed to watch her back. Then Piper comes up, drags us to watch the news and the kid's dad is getting arrested. They're trying to tie him to the main guy."

Staring at the girl, Alex nodded. "Yeah, that doesn't sound like shit you want to mess with. I mean it wasn't the mob obviously, but international drug cartels have their own troublesome politics. It sounds like a lot of shit is getting stirred up. Did Red know anything else?"

Nicky shrugged and looked at the girl over her shoulder. She didn't like to admit it, but Red didn't want her help. "I dunno, she wouldn't talk to me about it."

"Nicky, don't do that." Alex said seriously.

Nicky looked at Alex, clearly not understanding. "Do what?"

Alex smiled gently at her. "Don't get all upset because Red didn't tell you. Red's not going to talk to anyone. You know she trusts you more than any of us. Give her time."

Nicky nodded and chewed on the bottom of her lip. "It's just hard. She's always been there for me and now when she might need me, she won't let me in."

"Alright, enough with that. Here's what we're going to do. You're going to stay out of it. You're going to keep your head down. You're going to stay out of trouble." She paused amused at the pissed off look Nicky was giving her. "I on the other hand am going to keep an eye on her and see what I can figure out. As soon as I know something I'll let you know."

"You're a good friend Vause," Nicky said, mood already lighter.

Alex batted her eyes and smiled. "I know." More seriously, she said. "Yeah, just remember that when your mom kills me for enabling you."

Nicky couldn't keep the grin off her face. "Will do. I guess I better head inside then, find some regular trouble I can get into." She stood up and reached down to help Alex up.

The girls said their goodbyes and headed towards the group. It wasn't something Nicky would have considered, but it would work. She shot a dirty look at Stesha as she passed, trying to bite back the angry words she wanted to say.


End file.
